Why Did Nasa Cancel the Launch of the Mars Probe?

For months, NASA has been creating a buzz around its latest US science satellite that was set to be launched into outer space in a matter of weeks. Now, the project has come to a grinding halt, with NASA releasing an official statement that lift-off will no longer go ahead.

Known as InSight, the next generation spacecraft was engineered to help scientists unravel the mysteries of rocky planets, including Earth. After touching down on Mars InSight was designed to actively detect seismic activities such as earthquakes. It was also programmed to monitor variations in Mars’ orbit (aka wobble) and measure the amount of heat being released from its subsurface.

French seismometer fails to perform

According to NASA, the cancellation was caused by a detected leak in a key research instrument.  The sensitive seismometer was issued by French space agency CNES, but hasn’t quite lived up to the high standards NASA is used to. Without the ability to detect minute vibrations the InSight mission would’ve been obsolete.

Unfortunately for NASA, Earth and Mars won’t be favourably aligned for another 26 months. Launching the science satellite at any other time simply wouldn’t be productive. This has raised serious questions about the future of the project, as technology can drastically evolve in two years.

“We just don’t have enough time to find the leak, fix it and still make it to the launch pad in March,” commented John Grunsfeld, NASA associate administrator for science.

InSight budget on tenterhooks

Budget restrictions are also a factor, with NASA concerned about whether or not it has the financial resources to channel into the programme. InSight mission costs are capped at $675 million, a figure that’s already been raised from the initial $425 million budget. Over the coming months NASA will review several different repair options. Whether or not the project survives is yet to be confirmed…

Scientific equipment is incredibly complex, which means that repairing malfunctions is no easy feat. For more insight into the latest sophisticated devices to hit the labs, ‘Chromatrap®: A fast, Reliable High-Throughput ChIP-seq Assay for Genome-Wide Protein-DNA Analysis’ is a fascinating read. While the Chromatrapis not used in outer space, it has been hailed as an unrivalled tool for studying complex, co-ordinated gene regulation and epigenetic mechanisms on a global scale.

Image via Flickr Creative Commons. Photo credits: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center